For this week's work on Salome I was tasked with presenting my discussion leading question to the class. The process of researching that discussion question posed a number of interesting challenges and opportunities to research the text in greater depth. The process of taking a single image and analyzing it in depth and in a way it can be communicated to the rest of the class in the form of productive discussion was difficult but the practice we have accumulated over our time in this course made the process much easier. For my presentation I focused specifically on Aubrey Beardsely’s “the Climax” and I can say with confidence that Beardsley’s style has been my favourite thus far. I found the japanese influence in his work to be particularly striking. The minimalist visuals marked a stark departure from the previous works we’ve studied. The images this week were rich with thematic depth and symbolic imagery that made them engaging to study. Connecting the images to the history of Oscar Wilde and the themes of sexuality and religion proved to be some of the interesting analyses thus far. Through my research I found connections between Beardley’s depictions and greek mythology, comparing the drawing of Salome to that of Medusa. Furthermore my image, “The Climax” was interlinked with previous illustrations in the play to form a layered critic of religion and woman in a position of power. In the future I look forward to exploring topics like religion and sexuality through imagery in more detail. 

Simon Mancuso